Photo: Will HartAs a wild week of commotion, promotion and emotion gives way to Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz showdown, let’s take a look through what everyone’s been buzzing about—from the HBO.com insiders to the fight fans following along:

Mayweather and Ortiz didn’t arrive at this mega-event by accident. They each scored significant wins on the road to “Star Power,” and now find themselves jockeying for position in the upper reaches of the talent-loaded welterweight division. With his sublime skills, Mayweather is the consensus favorite in the fight. But not everyone sees it that way. HBO expert analyst Emanuel Steward broke down the strategic intricacies of the fight and gives Ortiz an excellent chance, and not surprisingly, Ortiz’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya feels the same way—and has the first-hand experience fighting Mayweather to validate his viewpoints.

But there are countless different ways to analyze a fight beyond just what the industry insiders have to say. You can explore the finer points of the matchup. You can crunch the CompuBox numbers. You can even try to figure out who won the verbal joust at the final press conference.

And when it’s all said and done, you make your predictions. The experts had their say, and unanimously went with the chalk and tabbed Mayweather to win. The fans were a little more divided. On Twitter, @rcollick and @crucifixio picked Mayweather via varying margins, but @odogg33 went with the underdog Ortiz. Meanwhile, on the comment boards on the HBO Inside Boxing blog, Elvin T. took the Ortiz side as well, predicting “Floyd is gonna be looking up at the lights thinking, WTF happened?” But commenter Ish A. envisions a knockout win for Mayweather, claiming “Victor Ortiz is nervous, has no defense, and come Saturday will receive a boxing lesson of a lifetime!”

In addition to the 12 rounds (or less) of Mayweather vs. Ortiz, there’s plenty of before and after to consider. Prior to the main event, we’ll see an intriguing undercard, featuring a plethora of popular Mexican and Mexican-American fighters—many of whom, like Mayweather, come from boxing families. And after the main event is over, attention will inevitably turn to what’s next. No matter the outcome, Manny Pacquiao’s name will be on fight fans’ minds. Two HBO.com contributors explored this in detail on different corners of the web, with Chris Mannix tackling the Pacquiao factor on SI.com and Kieran Mulvaney experiencing Floyd’s many personalities on ESPN.com.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The opening bell of Mayweather vs. Ortiz is almost here, and there’s nothing more thrilling than that moment when fight week gives way to the fight itself.

UPCOMING FIGHTS

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After scoring a 2nd-round knockdown, @jorgelinares fought off a resolute @luke11campbell to retain his titles in a split-decision victory. #LinaresCampbell

In a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle, @jorgelinares overcomes a gutsy rally from @luke11campbell to earn a split-decision victory and defend his lightweight titles. #LinaresCampbell

Fight night STARTS NOW with the exclusive replay of @canelo vs. @gggboxing followed immediately by live boxing featuring the lightweight title bout between @jorgelinares and @luke11campbell.
Tune in now to HBO World Championship Boxing. #CaneloGGG #LinaresCampbell

Will @luke11campbell take home @jorgelinares' title belts tonight?
Tune in to HBO World Championship Boxing at 10 PM ET/PT for the exclusive replay of #CaneloGGG followed immediately by #LinaresCampbell.

@jorgelinares puts his lightweight titles on the line against @luke11campbell on Saturday.
Will Campbell be ready? Tune in to HBO at 10 PM ET/PT. #LinaresCampbell

"Andre Ward ends his boxing career as he only knew how to live it -- as a champion at the top. To watch Ward was to marvel at constant mastery of craft in the ring, to say nothing of his being the consummate role model outside it. The Hall of Fame will be lucky to have him.
"We wish Andre and his family much success and happiness as he explores new opportunities, including with our own HBO family as one of the expert analysts on our broadcast team.
"It was a privilege for HBO to serve as the television platform for many of his landmark achievements in the sport he loves." - Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President, HBO Sports

Saturday: Watch three-division world champ @jorgelinares defend his lightweight titles against hard-hitting rising star @luke11campbell.
Tune in to @HBO World Championship Boxing Saturday at 10 PM ET/PT for the replay of #CaneloGGG followed by #LinaresCampbell.

A fight that was years in the making exceeded all expectations. #CaneloGGG